Cartons for powdered detergents have typically included perforations in one of the side panels for opening the carton. Consumers have been expected to separate the perforated opening from the rest of the side panel to open the carton. Unfortunately, consumers have often found it difficult to separate the opening from the rest of the panel. Moreover, once open, the tendency was for the powdered product to spill from the carton when the carton was being transported from its place of storage to the washing location.
Gunn U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,315 discloses a plastic fitment which serves as a pouring spout and a cover for detergent cartons. However, the use of plastic materials on the paperboard carton is undesirable on environmental grounds since the plastic tends not to degrade after use. Moreover, Gunn indicates that the added thickness of his fitment requires means integral to the carton to thicken the carton and offset the additional thickness of the fitment when the cartons are stacked in a flattened tubular form prior to erection. Therefore, there is a need for a carton opening which can be readily utilized by the consumer, yet which requires little or no additional plastic material.